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READ: JOHN 15:1-17; 1 CORINTHIANS 3:5-11; PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019ve been part of a church, you\u2019ve probably been told that, as Christians, we are called to serve others, help the hurting, and bring about justice (Micah 6:8; Matthew 25:35-40). That\u2019s part of how we participate in the kingdom of God. And we also know that Jesus will return to right every wrong, make all things new, and get rid of sin and death forever. So, if we know that Jesus is going to come fix everything, why do we bother to do anything?\n\n\n\nThis is a question I\u2019ve bumped into in my walk with Jesus. It\u2019s true that if I did nothing but sit twiddling my thumbs all day, Jesus\u2019s plan to return and restore all of creation would not be thwarted in the slightest. But I think this mindset misses the point of the gospel.\n\n\n\nWhen we put our trust in Jesus, His Spirit dwells within us and transforms our hearts in ways that compel us to serve (Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 5:5; Philippians 2:13). When God shows us how deeply He loves us, we can\u2019t help but love others. When He shows us how utterly good He is, we want others to experience that goodness. When He shows us the things that break His heart, our hearts break, too. When we realize how He has served us, we are drawn to serve others. When we\u2019ve experienced the power of the gospel\u2014that Jesus, out of His great love for us, died on the cross and rose again from the dead, and that He desires for His people and His creation to be made whole\u2014that power takes root in us. It shapes our desires into God\u2019s desires. And that desire moves us to action.\n\n\n\nSo, through the power of the gospel, we can serve others out of love, hope, and peace. Not out of anxiety that things won\u2019t get done, or fear that we\u2019d better serve or we\u2019ll get in trouble, or shame for not living up to certain expectations, but out of an overflowing of God\u2019s love and a deep desire to see His goodness on display. Until the day we die or Jesus returns, we can serve because, from the very core of our being, we want to. Because Jesus and the wholeness He brings is just too good to keep to ourselves. \u2022 Taylor Eising\n\n\n\n\u2022 When have you felt a desire to serve others? What was that like?\n\n\n\n\u2022 How can knowing Jesus\u2019s love for us compel us to share that love with others?\n\n\n\nWe love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:19 (NLT)